French soldiers prepare to leave Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, in December 2022. BARBARA DEBOUT/AFP via Getty Images
African governments express rising alarm about Russian disinformation
It has helped drive instability that “is at the cusp of affecting coastal West Africa,” AFRICOM chief says.
African defense leaders have “consistent” and growing concerns about the destabilizing effects of Russian disinformation, the commander of U.S. Africa Command said Thursday at the Africa Chiefs of Defense Conference in Botswana.
“That was one of the challenges that was illuminated and amplified throughout the conference: misinformation and disinformation campaigns and the influence those campaigns have from the Russian Federation on African countries,” Gen. Michael Langley told reporters in a media call from Gaborone.
Langley’s remarks follow U.S. setbacks across Africa. A 2021 coup in Mali was followed in 2023 by one in Niger, whose new government swiftly moved to eject U.S. forces and close their drone base. Data obtained by Defense One showed that Russian military actors traveled to Niger around that time.
In March, Langley said Russian disinformation had helped end U.S. access to Niger.
On Thursday—nearly a year after the Nigerien coup—Langley offered a situation report on the region.
“With the withdrawal of the French and U.S. troops from the Sahel region, I say it has become less safe,” he said, “because the expanded numbers across a number of factions of violent extremist organizations, whether we're talking about [Jama’at Nusrat] or ISIS Sahel or ISIS West Africa. Boko Haram is still there.”
Extremist activity “is very, very much has increased across the region and now is at the cusp of affecting coastal West Africa,” he said.
Langley declined to say whether the United States plans to find a new location to replace the base in Niger. Instead he emphasized U.S. and partner nation efforts to bolster democratic and civilian institutions across Africa.
Russia, he said, is looking to sow more chaos to challenge those very institutions.
Moscow’s Wagner private security company “has been very very progressive at trying to establish control in African countries. This does not enhance security or stability for the populace,” he said.
The conference of African defense chiefs and partners featured representatives from 53 countries.